Become a private childminder

The following requirements must be met before the municipality can approve the private childminder and thus provide financial support to the parents and carry out educational supervision of the children. 

You must:

• have the physique to lift and carry small children in a safe manner
• have the mental capacity to accommodate the different forms of expression of children such as anger, jubilation, disappointment, sadness and curiosity 
• have sufficient knowledge of Danish to be able to develop the children's language skills. Documentation in the form of a 9th grade certificate or a test in Danish 2 with a minimum grade of 2 may be required
• give the child care so that the child experiences security 
• be present and communicative in contact with the child, with a particular focus on the child's language development
• be able to organise a stimulating learning environment
• be able to convey observations about the child's developmental stage in your dialogue with the supervising educator and parents
• be open to guidance and instruction and be able to translate it to the benefit of the child's well-being
• have a criminal record with no conditions that prevent proper care of the child. You must sign a requisition form stating that the City of Copenhagen can obtain a Danish criminal record and a certficate that shows that you have not been involved in child abuse. If you look after children in your own home, other people over the age of 15 in that home will receive requisition forms via their Digital Post, which they must accept. The City of Copenhagen then receives the criminal record from the police
• get an original criminal record from your home country if you are not originally from Denmark and you have been in Denmark less than ten years. The criminal record must be translated and approved at the embassy of your home country in Denmark
• have a work permit if you are from a country outside the EU/EEA. You can contact the Immigration Service for further information. 

If you do not speak Danish, the parents can apply for a dispensation from Danish as the main language, if this does not lead to integration problems for the child. We therefore require that the parents submit a dispensation application for Danish as the main language together with the contract. The dispensation application must contain documentation on the family's basis for residence such as a temporary employment contract or study agreement. Dispensation applications must be send to infoteam@kk.dk

Dispensation can be granted to:

• children of non-Danish parents who are here temporarily and are expected to leave Denmark within a few years
• children of parents who have been or expects to be stationed abroad.

According to the Day Care Act, the City of Copenhagen must grant permission for private childcare. We have the option of either approving each individual child on the basis of a specific and individual assessment or giving a private childminder permission to care for a certain number of children (a type of pre-approval).

It is most common to be approved to care for 2 children by the educational supervision, but it is also allowed to care for only 1 child. If you want to care for 3 or 4 children, as a general rule you must have previously cared for two children for a period of at least three months before the educational supervision can give you permission to care for more than two children.

The City of Copenhagen typically gives permission to care for 3 children. That means you can receive 3 children and there may be replacements among the children without having to inform the educational supervision or have start-up visits in connection with new children starting. However, there cannot be more than 2 children under the age of 1 in private childcare.

In certain cases, permission can be given to care for 4 children and in very special cases 5 children. The permission for the 4th and 5th child takes place with specific approval of each individual child, as the individual children and their needs and age will be more important.

If you have a child yourself, you are welcome to care for your own child together with the other children. Your own child counts towards the total number of children you can be allowed to care for and you cannot receive any payment for childcare for your own child.

Assessment of the number of children a private childminder can look after

When we give permission for childminding and assess how many children a private childminder can care for, we look at the following among other things:

• The physical setting of the care facility; Is it suitable for 3, 4 or 5 children?
• The age of the children and the composition of the group; Can all children's needs for sleep, meals, play and trips out of the house be accommodated?
• The children's individual or special needs; Are there many new children during the run-in? Are there premature babies or children with special needs?

• The private childminder's personal skills/resources; Can the private childminder take care of the children? Can the private childminder see the individual children and relate to them? Does the private childminder have an overview and the ability to plan? Is the private childminder reflective and good at cooperating with the supervisory authority?

  In connection with the ongoing supervision of the private childcare scheme, it will be evaluated whether the number of children is appropriate. The guidelines are similar for the municipal daycare in the City of Copenhagen.

If you want to provide childcare for children from other municipalities, the parents do not have to apply for subsidies from the City of Copenhagen. 

You must inform the supervisory authority in Copenhagen about children from other municipalities so that the supervisory authority;

• can agree with the child's municipality of residence whether it is the City of Copenhagen that takes on the supervision
• is aware of the total number of children looked after in your private childcare. 

According to the Day Care Act, the City of Copenhagen must continuously supervise private childcare. We regularly make both announced and unannounced inspection visits. Supervision visits include guidance and sparring with an experienced educator. 

The inspection visit must ensure that all the conditions covered by the approval continue to be met. Among other things, we will look at:

• the competences of the private childminder 
• children's safety
• children's well-being 
• development of the children's co-determination and understanding of democracy
• language stimulation of the children
• follow-up on previous agreements
• ensure the childcare has a learning environment
• The content of the inspection visits is in line with the supervision of the municipal daycare in the City of Copenhagen.

You set the monthly price for looking after a child yourself in negotiation with the parents. 

The subsidy for parents is up to 75% of the price you take. However, there are some maximum rates for the subsidy, which are determined by the child's age and the number of hours. It is a good idea to keep these rates in mind when setting your price.

The subsidy can be given from when the child is 24 weeks old and until the 1st of the month in which a place in a kindergarten class can be offered.

From the first of the month in which the child turns three, the allowance changes. Parents must submit a new application, otherwise the subsidy will end automatically.

Both you and the parents have a duty to inform the City of Copenhagen in writing if there are any significant changes to the subsidy. 

The municipality can end the payment of subsidies if the approved agreement is not carried out.

You should be aware that no pension is paid when you are self-employed, so it may be a good idea to make voluntary pension savings.

The parents are not your employer, but you are an independent private childminder without a CVR no.

You are therefore liable for B tax and are responsible for paying tax on your income as well as paying labour market contribution. 

You must get the Danish Tax Agency (SKAT) to change your preleminary assessment of income, and at the same time you can ask them to issue a paying-in form for you to pay provisional tax. If you look after children in your own home, you are entitled to a standard tax deduction of 60% of the monthly payment. 

The standard deduction must cover undocumented expenses for the children's food and wear and tear on your home. In addition to the standard deduction, you also have your own personal deduction. The City of Copenhagen reports your income to the Danish Tax Agency (SKAT) every month on the basis of the digitally signed and submitted receipts.

The labour market contribution (8%) is normally collected once a year in connection with the tax return/annual statement. It is possible to ask the Danish Tax Agency (SKAT), if you can pay this on an ongoing basis.

You have the option of paying into Arbejdsmarkedets Tillægs Pension (ATP). (Contact ATP)

There is no requirement that you take out insurance, but it can be a good idea to take out sickness benefit insurance if you are planning to be a private childminder for a long period of time. 

You can take out sickness benefit insurance that can protect you against financial loss in connection with your own illness, pregnancy and maternity. You can be insured for sickness benefit from the 3rd day of absence (type 1 insurance) or from the 1st day of absence (type 2 insurance). In addition, you can take out insurance at the full rate or 2/3 of the full rate. 

Read more about rules and prices on Udbetaling Danmark's website.

As a private childminder, you can also choose to take out voluntary third party and accident insurance with a private insurance company, which covers material damage caused at the place of childcare.

It is also not a requirement that you are a member of an A-kasse or trade union. However, we highly recommend that you look into how you are financially positioned if you stop being a private childminder at some point.

You can become a member of an A-kasse for the self-employed. You can find out more about the rules for becoming eligible for unemployment benefit by contacting an A-kasse yourself.

Once you have agreed with a parent about childminding, you must ask the parent to digitally complete a contract for private childcare.

You will then receive a message in Digital Post with a link to the completed form, which you must approve digitally by clicking on the link and logging in with your MitID. 

Only after you have approved the digital contract, the municipality will receive the form. There is approximately 3 weeks of processing time and the parents receive a message via their Digital Post when the form has been approved.

Before the parents have to complete the contract, you must agree on the amount of the monthly payment and whether you will be paid during illness and vacation.

In the contract with the parents which the City of Copenhagen processes and approves, there is a mutual notice of termination of 14 days for both you and the parent.

Important: 
A written termination must be sent to the City of Copenhagen. The agreement can be cancelled with immediate effect if:

• the private childminder is on long-term sick leave for a month or more
• the contract has been breached (by non-attendance or similar)

• the municipality suspects that it is a pro forma agreement.

  Every month, you must approve a digital receipt that the parents complete when they have paid for the childcare. Your income is then reported to the Danish Tax Agency (SKAT) every month based on the amount in the receipts. 

  Please note you must save a copy of the contract and the receipts for the monthly payment for a minimum of 5 years.

The municipal educational supervision organises a weekly gym in Grøndal MultiCenter in Copenhagen with a focus on play and movement. 

The playroom is for children up to and including 4 years old. Here, the children can develop their social and motor skills and meet other children. In Prismen in Amager, there is a weekly playroom for private childminders but without the participation of the educational supervision.

In both playrooms, the private childminder can exchange experiences with other private childminders and the children can be part of a larger playgroup.

Grøndal MultiCenter 
Hvidkildevej 164, 2400 Copenhagen NV.  We meet every Monday at 9.00-10.30.

2024: 16/9 , 23/9, 30/9, 7/10, 14/10, 21/10, 28/10, 14/11, 11/11, 18/11, 25/11 2/12, 9/12 and 16/12.

2025:  6/1, 13/1, 20/1, 27/1, 3/2, 10/2, 17/2, 24/2, 3/3, 10/3, 17/3, 24/3, 7/4 and 28/4.

Come as often as you can. Teacher: Lisbet Sørup Heinsen.

Prismen
Holmbladsgade 71, 2300 Copenhagen. Friday at 9.00 -12.00

It is a private childcare arrangement with a minimum of 10 children who are looked after in buisness premises where there is a pedagogical manager. 

The large private childcare scheme must be organized so it promotes children's learning through safe educational learning environments.

The parents enter into a contract with the large private childcare scheme and not with the individual private childminder.

The facility in which you wish to set up private childcare must be approved by the City of Copenhagen. You have to find the premises yourself.

The following rules generally apply

• There must be an operating permit before the large childcare scheme can be approved. You can contact Center for Bygninger at 3366 5200 for more info
• The floor area in the living room must not be lower than street level
• If the premises are below street level, an exemption must be applied for at Center for Bygninger
• A concrete assessment will be made in each individual case

• If a private care scheme is to be set up in a villa or residence, you must, according to Section 46 of the Housing Control Act, find a replacement residence of the same size and quality

  Building requirements

• If the premises are located in a densely built-up area, a neighbour consultation must be carried out
• Measures against noise
• In the event that the outdoor areas are located close to busy roads, the project must be assessed by Vand og VVM in terms of environmental impact so that it can be determined whether measures must be drawn up to reduce traffic noise. Vand og VVM must be contacted in time before the construction work is carried out
• Fire equipment/fire alarms are set up according to the fire inspectorate's guidelines
• Access to toilet facilities for disabled persons
• Statutory insulation of the premises
• There must be 3 m² of free floor space per nursery child and 2 m² per kindergarten child
• There must be direct access to the outdoor area. 10 m² per child
• There must be a group room, changing room, staff room and cleaning/technical control room as well as a kitchen and toilet
• There must be a changing room with access to hot water and extraction
• Access to the kitchen must be approved by the educational supervision. If it is a question of cooking for more than 20 children, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration must be contacted
• The children must have the opportunity to sleep inside and outside
• There must be an opertaing permit before the large childcare scheme can be approved. You can contact Dialogteamet for construction matters

• The childcare center must be pre-approved by the educational supervision before parents can receive any subsidy

  It is possible to contact the Technical and Environmental Administration's customer center at Njalsgade 13, 2300 Kbh. S and get help with your planning application and buy copies of floor plans and sectional drawings. Here, you can also get an assessment of whether you can get an exemption or not.

  Example of a childcare arrangement with 10 children and 3 adults

• Group room for 10 children 20 -30 m²
• Changing room 10 m²
• Wardrobe 10 m²
• Kitchen 10 m²
• Staff room incl. toilet 10 m²
• Technical control room (ventilation)/cleaning 5 m²
• Net area 75 m² + approx. 20% for walls etc.

• Gross area approx. 90 m²

  
  Example of a childcare arrangement with 20 children and 4-6 adults

• Group room for 20 children 40-60 m²
• Changing room 15 m²
• Wardrobe 15 m²
• Kitchen 15 m²
• Staff room incl. toilet 15 m²
• Technical control room (vent.)/cleaning 5 m²
• Net area 125 m² + approx. 20% for walls etc.
• Gross area approx. 150 m²

You are responsible for:

• Having a CVR no. at the Danish Business Authority. You can find the registration form at www.virk.dk
• Paying wages to your employees
• Paying holiday pay through FerieKonto
• Paying ATP contribution. You must contact ATP and report the ATP contribution. You will then receive a charge for your employees' ATP contribution. The ATP rate varies according to the number of working hours
• Paying a statutory contribution to the maternity fund. You will automatically be charged for this when you are registered as an employer via your CVR no
• Taking out a statutory occupational injury insurance if you have employees for more than 400 hours during the entire period. This insurance covers, if your employees suffer an accident or occupational disease during work. You will automatically be charged for the occupational disease cover when you pay your first ATP contribution

• Occupational injury insurance consists of two parts:

  - An industrial injuries insurance, which you must take out with an insurance company.

  - An occupational disease insurance, which you must take out with Arbejdsmarkedets Erhvervssikring (AES). You will automatically be charged for the occupational disease insurance when you pay your first ATP contribution.

• All employees must sign a consent form
• The educational supervision obtains criminal information on the basis of this. The individual employee can only start the scheme when the relevant criminal information is available
• Your employees must have the physical and psychological resources to look after children
• Your employees must collaborate with the educational supervision. Your employees are obliged to pass on information to the educational supervision, if it is relevant to the child's well-being and development. If this happens, the parents must be informed.

The following numbers must be understood as indicative in relation to the physical and psychological resources of the employees, the physical setting and the opening hours of the childcare centre.

Staffing ratio for children between 24 weeks and 3 years 
3 children 1 adult 
6 children 2 adults 
10 children 3 adults 
16 children 4 adults 
20 children 5 adults 
If 7 or more children are cared for, it requires the employment of at least 1 trained pedagogue.

Staffing ratio for children aged 3-6 years 
4 children 1 adult 
10 children 2 adults 
18 children 3 adults 
24 children 4 adults 
If 11 or more children are cared for, it requires the employment of at least 1 trained pedagogue.